FfoL Vietnam 3

 

Mission 3: Search. February 5th, 1967.

Support points: 2.

Corporal Clive and Private Grail are assigned to First squad to address the undermanned status.

    Intel wants a recently discovered farm hut searched. They suspect it may be a VC storehouse or meeting place.  First squad is going in to search it.  

    "Corporal Clive" Sgt west barked. "Take Harlin, Carter, and Grail, and fall behind.  I want you covering our exit and our flank!"

    Before Cpl Clive gets two yards, he's jumped by a VC hiding in the trees! He fights, but the surprise is too much, and Clive is down wounded!

    Bester sees the fight, and who wins it. He fires on the VC forcing him back behind the rocks for cover. But Bester is pretty good, squeezing off a single accurate shot that drops the guerrilla. 

The men move on, quickly but quietly.  Clive is fine except for his pride.  Sergeant West can't help feeling like they aren't alone out here.

    He's right. The VC are in the area and advancing on the Americans.

    That they don't know that isn't a surprise.  The thick jungle here means visibility isn't much more than a few yards in most places.

    Suddenly Pvt Bester is attacked, ambushed really, by a VC in the brush.  He fights the man off, forcing him to run for cover.  Bester fires and drops him before he gets too far.

    Private Yuri Grail, a new member of the quad, uses his M-79 grenade launcher to fire along a rare opening in the jungle.  He spots VC congregating, and drops a grenade on them, killing a few, scattering others.  

    Corporal Quartermain growls "This ain't a stealth mission, boys!" And opens up with his M-60 at some barely glimpsed movement through the bushes. He kills one and drives others back.

    Grail pops another grenade into the trees, more VC down, more pushed back.

    Then all hell breaks loose.

    More VC come from the woods, this time from behind the Sergeants fire team, and they come on firing.  Oliver is hit and goes down wounded. He crawls for cover.  Sergeant West is driven back by the fire.

    Quartemain grunts once more as he turns around and his M-60 roars again. One of the newly arrived VC falls, the others run for cover...

    

    ... the whistle of VC mortar shells fills the air and explosions shake the jungle, dirt raining down all around...

    ...Private Harlin is shot, goes down, and isn't moving.  Carter and Clive pour fire into more newly arrived VC...

    ... and Pvt Grail lands another grenade, killing 3 VC and driving back 2 more...

        ...and Cpl Clive guns down the VC that shot Harlin!

    More VC are arriving from the jungle! Whatever this hut is, it really does seem to be important.

    Quartermain meets up in cover with the others.  "Oliver, what the hell are you going down there?" the Corporal roars at the wounded marine.  "We don't have time for goldbricking, Private! Get Up! Up! Up! Up!"

    Oliver gets back up, seemingly forgetting his wound all together, and opens fire on the VC near the hut. Quartermain joins in, forcing back the VC and felling one.  

        Also inspired by the Corporal, Sergeant West runs forward and tosses a grenade into the bush where he's been hearing a VC.  His throw is too long and passes the enemy.

        Pvt Grail shows 'em how it's done, and lobs a grenade in from quite a distance to hit the corner of the hut, killing the VC machine gun setting up there.

    Sergeant West Tosses a thumps up and a nod to Grail, and heads out to the hut. There's a sudden whoosh and crack sound, and West is down from a booby trap! He's not moving!

    More VC run from the woods in the North West, behind Bester's position.

    And Clive is jumped by a hidden VC after he carries Harlin into cover.  The fight is short, Clive's too tired to prolong it, so he ends the VC quickly.

    Oliver sprints to the hut, killing a VC that was hiding behind it, and manages to complete the required Search! Time to get out of here!

    But more and more VC are showing up near the hut.  Their fire drives Oliver around the building for cover!

    Bester is getting yells for support, so jumps on the radio, and calls for mortars on the farm! The request is acknowledged, but it's going to be a few...

    Oliver is rushed by one of the VC! They fight! Punches, kicks, blocks, gunfire and explosions the background song of their melee, until Oliver falls wounded.  Stunned and winded from the fight, the VC simply leans against the house while Oliver crawls, bloody, into the bushes.

    Corporal Quartermain lays down fire on the VC approaching the hut, forcing them back a bit.

    But Quartermain suddenly has more pressing concerns.  Three VC have come rushing from the trees right for him. He barely has time to turn around before the first reaches him, but he manages fight him off and stagger him with a blow to the nose. But there's still two more coming.

    "Come on, then. Bring it on!" Quartermain roars and moves into the fight, his huge frame swinging punches while his gun bursts out death at VC he can't reach.  It's impossible to tell if the roar of the man or the gun was louder. 

    And then the mortars land. Eight shells, one after the other, land in the field. Land in the jungle. Land further away in the jungle. Then one hits near the hut, killing two VC and forcing another to run! Then more land out in the jungle. And more.

    Private Grail sights in and lobs a grenade right into the corner of the house the VC that took down Oliver was leaning on. 

    Quartermain stood, the bodies of three dead VC at his feet, huffing from exertion while he pulled the racking lever after inserting a new feed belt, and looking for his next target. That M-60 was a serious piece of hardware, but that Man was a Machine!

    And then a single pop, and Quartermain fell. 

    Carter is shot in the back and goes down. Clive cuts down his killer, then turns and shoots down another. Bester shoots down a third.

    More VC arrive from every direction.  One is carrying an RPG, and he fires on Grail.  After the dust clears, Grail is down.

    Bester sees the VC swarming, sees they're surrounded and most of the squad is down, so jumps on the radio and calls for a gunship.  It arrives almost immediately, it must have been loitering nearby.

 

   Oliver sees Quartermain fall, and it infuriates him into action. Billy took on three men single handed, while fighting off two more! He can't just lay here! Get Up! Get Up! GET UP!

    Oliver pushed himself up and ran forward. He shot and killed an RPG carrying VC. 

    The gunship swung around and headed into the VC mass. It's grenade launcher and machine guns spraying death from above. Three VC fell in the deadly rain.

    More VC run from the woods spraying fire everywhere.  One of the shots hits Oliver, and he goes down again. This time he's not getting back up.

    More VC fire on Bester, and while they miss, it's enough to spook him. He turns and runs off into the jungle.  That coward broke and ran, leaving his squad behind!

    The gunship shoots down another group of VC, then lands in the only available clearing. The gunner heads to the door, ready to help if needed.

    Clive is ambushed by two VC! He fights them off, and kills them both, but they're slowing him down! 

    Clive avoids a booby trap at the last minute, and gets Carter onboard the helicopter. The gunner from the chopper hops out and gets Harlin, then Grail aboard, while Clive is laying down fire.

    Then Pop, and Clive goes down.  The gunner grabs Clive and gets him on the chopper.

    He looks for a moment toward Oliver and Quartermain, but knows there's no way to reach them.

    The VC are swarming forward now, there's no choice, they have to leave now!

Mission Success (Pyrrhic, but still a success)

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After Action

The squad has earned 5RP for this mission.

+5 RP Mission Success

+7 RP 15 Confirmed Kills (out of 32, not counting mortars or gunship kills)

-7 RP for out of action marines

+ 8 RP Existing

13 RP Total

Corporal Ray Clive - Seriously Wounded. Will be reassigned to a non-combat role.

Private Harlin - Light leg Wound, out for 5 days.

Sergeant West - Knocked out. He's fine for action now.

Private Chad Carter - He's fine, ready for action.

Private Yuri Grail - Dead. KIA.

Corporal Billy Quartermain - Left behind. MIA

Private Oliver - Left Behind. MIA

Private Disk Bester - AWOL

Squad Morale is now at -4. (that's not good...)

Campaign Events

    Carter is sent for extra training and gains the Coolheaded skill.

    One of the reporters the squad like hanging around with left the area.

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This is a really good game! Fun, but frustrating! Full of highs and lows, and lots of decisions.  It was genuinely depressing to have to make the call to leave men behind, but it was the right call. Sadly, Oliver's DEROS date was in March, so his tour was almost up.

I keep track of things on spreadsheets.  The calendar, and the squad status. 

    I find it helps with the story, and is actually quite fun in its own right.

The sorting things out for the After action is like it's own game, and I love it!